8-2.2 | EVOLUTIONARY ADAPTATION POTENTIAL OF KEY AQUATIC SPECIES OF DIFFERENT CLIMATIC REGIONS

Whether a population has the evolutionary potential to adapt to changing climates will strongly depend on the amount of genetic variation in climate-relevant fitness traits. One of the most important prerequisites for sound estimates of the response of species to climate change is their potential for genetic adaptation. In this project we aim to investigate the genetic variation of climate-relevant genetic traits and the potential to adapt to changing climatic conditions in limnic ecological key species. To achieve this we conduct common-garden temperature experiments with populations from:

a) different climes

b) different regions within a clime

c) different genotypes (in the case of clonal reproduction) or populations on a local scale.

Heritability of traits will be investigated in crossing experiments. In addition, microsatellite markers will be used to determine the degree of neutral genetic differentiation among populations.

Studies will be performed with selected limnic model species, e.g. the midge Chironomus riparius, the freshwater snail Radix balthica and the water flea Daphnia galeata.